The inventions described herein relate in general to a charge processing device, a charge processing system, and a charge processing card. More specifically, the inventions relate to a charge processing device, a charge processing system, and a charge processing card for collecting tolls and the like using position information wirelessly between a moving body such as a vehicle and the ground, and for processing charges to easily collect fees that are due.
A moving body such as a vehicle travels along a road or the like. A vehicle that travels on a toll paying installation such as a toll road is charged in accordance with the type of the vehicle as well as the distance traveled on the toll road. In order to automatically collect the toll at an entry gate or exit gate of the toll road, a road—vehicle intercommunication system for performing wireless information transfer between an in-vehicle device and an on-road device is used. In this system, a communication device having an antenna for sending and receiving electrical waves (i.e. the on-road device) is provided on the road as an interrogator for seeking information on the relevant vehicle. In addition, a communication device having an antenna (i.e. the in-vehicle device) is provided in the vehicle as a responder for responding to the sought information.
Technology is proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 9-212794, in which a toll is collected from a vehicle based on the location where the vehicle entered the toll road, the location where the vehicle exited from the toll road, and the history of the route traveled by the vehicle.
However, when this type of road—vehicle intercommunication system is used to transfer information, it is necessary to install an on-road device at the entries and exits of the area for which a toll is to be charged, such as the entry gates and exit gates of a toll road. If the area for which a toll is to be charged, such as a toll road, is one-dimensional, the installation of the on-road devices is easy, however, if the area in which a charge is applied is set as a zone or the like covering a wide range, it is necessary to install on-road devices at all of the entries and exits, so consequently, the cost increases in accordance with the number of entry and exit locations.
road—vehicle intercommunication system also exists in which charge processing is performed by the wireless transfer of information between an in-vehicle device and an on-road device. In this system, balance information is stored in advance in a prepaid card or IC card or the like, and the charge processing is performed by subtracting the toll to be collected from this balance information.
When the toll collection is performed automatically in this way, if the vehicle user does not possess a prepaid card or IC card or the like, or if the balance of the card is insufficient, it is not possible for the toll collection to be properly performed. Therefore, technology is proposed in which an external notification lamp is provided inside the vehicle, and when it is not possible for the proper toll to be collected from a vehicle this fact is notified to the exterior of the vehicle by the external notification lamp (see JP-A No. 8-7131). In this technology, when the proper toll cannot be collected from a vehicle that is fitted with the above road—vehicle intercommunication system and the vehicle passes over an entry gate or exit gate, the exterior facing lamp of the in-vehicle device is either turned on or turned off, thereby enabling an observer to easily observe that the proper toll has not been collected.
However, in this road-vehicle intercommunication system, although information is transferred by installing on-road devices at entries and exits of the area in which a charge is applied such as at the entry gates and exit gates of a toll road, when the area in which a charge is applied is set as a zone or the like covering a wide range where the entry and exit points cannot be specified, it is necessary to install on-road devices at all of the foreseeable entry and exit locations, and to establish a large number of observers.
A further example of a road—vehicle intercommunication system for performing charge processing by the wireless transfer of information between an in-vehicle device and an on-road device is proposed in JP-A No. 8-221617. In this technology, a toll is collected from a vehicle that passes over the communication area of an on-road antenna installed on the road.
However, in this road—vehicle intercommunication system, although information is transferred by installing on-road devices at entries and exits of the area in which a charge is applied such as at the entry gates and exit gates of a toll road, when the area in which a charge is applied is set as a zone or the like covering a wide range where the entry and exit points cannot be specified, it is necessary to install on-road devices at all of the foreseeable entry and exit locations.
Moreover, a charge processing system is proposed in JP-A No. 9-153156 in order for the charge processing to be more easily performed. In this system, balance information is stored in advance in an IC card or the like and the charge is processed by subtracting the toll to be collected from this balance information.
However, in this system, although information is transferred by installing on-road devices at entries and exits of the area in which a charge is applied such as at the entry gates and exit gates of a toll road, when the area in which a charge is applied is set as a zone or the like covering a wide range where the entry and exit points cannot be specified, it is necessary to install on-road devices at all of the foreseeable entry and exit locations. Moreover, this system cannot be applied when the area in which a charge is applied varies.
A further system is proposed in which vehicle transit determining devices are installed on a plurality of routes, and the charge is made by determining which route of the plurality of routes the vehicle traveled over. An example of this system is given in JP-A No. 9-212794. The system installation of this system is simple on toll roads network on which there are a few branch routes or entries and exits (interchanges) and having comparatively long distances between interchanges as only a few vehicle transit determining devices need to be installed.
However, if the toll road network is one having many branch routes and entries and exits (interchanges), and is one in which, although there are many sections with short distances between interchanges, the total distance of the road network as a whole is large, in cases such as this, the number of vehicle transit determining devices installed increases and the installation costs and maintenance costs are great. Moreover, in the above cases, it is only possible to obtain charge information of the toll road network within the area of control of the toll road network or directly in front of the entries thereto. Thus, it is difficult in the area a sufficient distance before the interchange for allowing such a detour route selection to be made to obtain information for deciding whether to use a toll road (i.e. to enter the toll gate) or whether to make a detour and use a surface non-toll road.
It is also possible to consider charges or traffic regulations in a specific area as a means of easing traffic congestion, reducing atmospheric pollution, reducing noise, obtaining regional revenue, or the like. In this case, if the road network of the subject area is complex and intricate, in the above charge system, it is necessary to install vehicle transit determining devices on a large number of the roads within the area. Consequently, the resulting high density installation is high in cost while the physical installation may be difficult depending on the location. Furthermore, if a charge is made or not made depending on the season (or month or day) or the time of day, or if the amount charged is changed, this information needs to be made known throughout the large number of roads running in and out of the area.
Conventionally, notification is made using a notice board or an electric sign board, however, in order to make the notification as wide as possible so as to enable a driver to avoid the area and choose a detour route, it is necessary to provide the notice board or the like some distance outside of the relevant area, which becomes a colossal undertaking. Moreover, the expense required for the work involved when tolls are revised or an area is altered is also great. To this can be added the burden of accurately informing a driver at the proper time the notification information of the notice board or the like.
When a driver exits a toll road using a balance renewable prepaid card, information indicating the route traveled is transmitted from the vehicle to an antenna terminal. The antenna terminal then calculates the toll for the traveled route and transmits the toll to the vehicle, where the vehicle subtracts the toll from the prepaid card. There is accordingly no need to stop the vehicle in order to pay the toll.
However, if the toll road is one having many branch routes and entries and exits (interchanges), and is one in which, although there are many sections with short distances between interchanges, the total distance of the road network as a whole is large, in cases such as this, the number of vehicle transit determining devices installed increases and the installation costs and maintenance costs are great. Consideration may also be given to exacting charges in a specific area as a means of easing traffic congestion, reducing atmospheric pollution, reducing noise, obtaining regional revenue, or the like. In contrast to a charge area in which the highway network is a narrow continuous distribution, the charge area for a specific area such as that described above is an isolated area covering a large surface area. In this case, there is a high probability that the road network within the area will be complex, and the establishment of tollbooths for stopping a vehicle to collect charges is not feasible. Instead, the employing of an automatic charge processing system that uses a communication device and a prepaid card or some other electronic information storage medium is desirable.
The possibility of the prepaid card being illegally used needs to be considered, however. In fact, not only when prepaid cards are used, but when charge processing is performed using a storage medium or by telecommunication, the possibility exists that information on the storage medium will be illegally altered, or that illegal communication information will be sent, or that the storage medium will be used illegally or intentionally not used. Thus, it can be seen that there is a need for measures against illegalities in automatic charge processing in a non-stop automatic charge processing system in which it is not practically possible for the controller to observe or examine the storage medium or communication device.
The inventions described herein were conceived in view of the above, and they provide a charge processing device, a charge processing system, and a charge processing card which have a simple structure and which enable the processing of a charge to the user of a moving body such as a vehicle or the like to be performed with ease.
The inventions also provide a charge processing device, a charge processing system, and a charge processing card which enable confirmation of the charge condition, for example, whether or not a toll has been collected, in a area in which a charge is applied to be made with ease.
The claimed inventions allow the following to be performed. Namely, the automatic notification to a person of control information for a specific area and of that person's positional relationship relative to that specific area; the simplification of the transmission of information of the specific area and the altering of that information; the comparative simplification of the installation of system elements and the enhancement of the reliability of the control information notification; and the simplification of the charge processing of a vehicle that has entered into the area in which a charge is applied and of the charge information control.
The claimed inventions also allow the following to be performed. Namely, doing away with the need for the large scale installation of a fixed facility without causing any problems in the toll payment; the simplification of the transmission of information of the specific area and the altering of that information; and the simplification of the charge processing of a vehicle that has entered into the area in which a charge is applied and of the charge information control.
The claimed inventions also allow the following to be performed. Namely, the simplification of the automatic observation of an intentional attempt to render inoperable a device carried by a user or mounted on a vehicle in order to allow illegal use or to enable a charge to be avoided; the simplification of the data collection for that purpose; the doing away with the need for the large scale installation of a fixed facility without causing any problems in the toll payment; the simplification of the transmission of information of the specific area and the altering of that information; and the simplification of the charge processing of a vehicle that has entered into the area in which a charge is applied and of the charge information control.